CSKA coach suspends Mike James again

CSKA Moscow announced that head coach Dimitris Itoudis had suspended guard Mike James for an unspecified number of upcoming games.

James is leading the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague in scoring with 19.3 points per game as CSKA heads into the last double-round week of the regular season with games against Russian rivals Zenit St Petersburg on the road on Wednesday and Khimki Moscow Region at home on Friday. CSKA, whose record is 20-10, will reach the playoffs with a win in either game but may qualify without another victory, as well, depending on other results. 

James had previously been suspended by the club earlier this season, in late January, and missed two games. The suspension lasted almost a week before the team lifted it. With three games left in the EuroLeague Regular Season, James’s absence coincides with those of centers Joel Bolomboy, with a foot injury, and Nikola Milutinov, who is out long-term after shoulder surgery.